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reason for such an act. If de Vipont had spent a night at Powys and intended to be at Clyro the next night, the estate must abut Gwenwynwyn's land. Probably the castellan and Gwenwynwyn were friendly enough, but if they were not it would make no difference. If both had the same enemyde Vipontthat should ensure cooperation for long enough to suit John's purposes. |
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Another wave of the fingers brought a table, quills, parchment, and ink to the chair in which John sat. He began to write quickly, glancing up once to say that a second courier should be told to ready himself. One letter was very brief. It was addressed to a mercenary captain in a besieged castle in Sussex, and the words themselves were quite innocent. They announced the safe delivery of a son named Victor to the man's woman. The fact that the action that would be induced by those words would be a breach of faith that would open the keep to its enemies did not trouble John and would not trouble the captain. Wax flowed to hold the parchment roll closed, but no seal was pressed to it, and it was a woman's name that the king scrawled across the edges. A second letter, headed with the same name, bid the captain march his troops with all the speed he could get from them to Gloucester and wait there in the royal castle for further instruction. The messenger would not, of course, deliver both letters to the captain to whom they were addressed. Only the first would go to him. Once he received instructions to abandon the siege, the captain would know where to go to find his new orders. |
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John's eyes narrowed as he considered the time element and the chance that Alinor's troops, with William at their head, would arrive first. He chuckled softly. William doubtless would arrive, but it was very unlikely indeed that the troops would. She would need to argue and plead with her men, probably, and they would make one excuse after another. Very likely William would have to go and gather them after the woman had failed. By thenJohn drew a third sheet of parchment toward |
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